Brussels, 11 November 2021
My meeting today in the European Parliament with the Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Šefik Džaferović, was a very important one.
We agree that the state integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina is untouchable.
I strongly condemn the divisive actions of Republika Srpska's Milorad Dodik and call on him to stop his blockades and secessionist activities with the aim of destabilizing and ultimately tearing apart the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I urge him to respect the Dayton Agreement and thus the state-level competencies in the areas of justice, army, taxes, telecommunications and border police, to name a few.
Dodik's actions threaten not only Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the entire Western Balkans and also the European Union. They lead to conflict and worse: they risk spiralling out of control, which could lead to a near-war situation. This cannot be in the interest of the EU and its institutions: we need stability and respect for the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The other signatories of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Serbia and Croatia, must also adhere to what they signed. It is obvious that certain political forces in EU Member State Croatia, too, have a potentially destabilising agenda in relation to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is absolutely unacceptable.
The one stoking the fire is once again President Putin, who tries to destabilize the EU every way he can, using his leverage with President Lukashenko in Belarus, with President Vučić in Serbia and even with some EU Member States.
The EU must resolutely oppose all these attacks. What is at stake here is peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire Western Balkans and ultimately the stability and prosperous future of the European Union.
We must therefore act, and act now!
Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP